December 1, 1501, Age of the Sea Circle
After walking for a few minutes, Orion noticed that Doctor Hogback had completely vanished into the distance, and immediately withdrew the arm he had draped around Victoria's shoulders, releasing her from his embrace.
"I hope you can forgive my impudence, but I thought it was a good opportunity to make Hogback give up on his attempts to win you over," said Orion with a kind smile.
Victoria felt the warmth of Orion's arm leave her all of a sudden, and couldn't help but experience a faint sense of loss, though the feeling lasted only a moment before her emotions stabilized once again. After all, she was an exceptional actress, and her mental strength and control over her emotions were truly remarkable.
Even so, as she recalled Orion's affectionate gesture just a moment earlier, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, looking down at her feet before replying softly,
"Don't worry about it… After all, I was the one who asked you to pretend to be my boyfriend…"
During the first two weeks of his acting career at the theater, Orion had only managed to speak with Victoria once, since his status within the troupe was far below hers—she was, after all, the kingdom's most celebrated star.
However, once Orion joined the secondary acting group, which served as the reserve company for the main troupe, his chances to interact with Victoria increased considerably, though it was true that they still remained somewhat limited.
Nevertheless, over the past ten days, Orion had spoken with the young woman every day, and the two had begun to build a friendship. She held a very positive opinion of him—not only because he was quite handsome and matched her personal tastes, but also because Orion had shown an acting talent among the finest she had ever seen, though still far below her own level.
For the young actress, who was completely devoted to her artistic passion, meeting a handsome man who shared that same devotion was truly like a dream come true. And while it was true that she had met many attractive actors in the past, only with Orion had she felt an instant, special connection.
Naturally, Orion also held great affection for the beautiful actress, and this mutual favorability allowed them to become friends rather quickly. As the days passed, their bond grew even stronger, to the point that Victoria began to confide in him about her personal troubles, finding almost therapeutic relief in being able to share her worries with him.
For his part, Orion greatly enjoyed Victoria's company, and he never hid the attraction he felt for her, since he didn't believe suppressing one's feelings was healthy. He preferred to express them openly, though he did so in a way that wouldn't make her feel uncomfortable.
After all, she had been dealing with love confessions nearly every day for the past few years, and it would be counterproductive to overwhelm her further in that same manner. In his daily interactions, Orion wasn't insistent like Hogback, who continuously invited her on romantic dates, nor did he pressure her to move their relationship forward.
He simply treated her like a normal friend, yet had made it clear from the beginning that he was attracted to her.
For the young woman, this approach was completely new, and combined with the positive impression she already had of Orion—and the fact that she found him very attractive—their relationship progressed rapidly, even leading to certain ambiguous interactions from time to time.
Even so, the paper window had not been pierced, and Victoria continued to maintain a prudent distance, proper of a noble lady, not allowing Orion to take the final step.
However, the situation had changed yesterday, as Victoria had received terrible news from her father: her family had begun negotiations with another noble household to arrange a political marriage in the near future.
Having grown up without ever worrying about such things—since her father had always promised he would never force her to marry and would let her pursue her acting career without restriction—she felt as if the sky itself had collapsed upon her.
Naturally, seeking to ease her troubled mind, she confided her sorrows to Orion during one of their daily talks, which ultimately led to the situation at hand.
When Orion first heard about Victoria's troubles, he merely offered her words of comfort and assured her that everything would work out. Yet that very night, he used the espionage skills he had acquired during his time in Guanhao to investigate the matter in depth.
In just one night, Orion managed to uncover all the details surrounding the situation, and his mind began to work swiftly, devising a plan that could not only help Victoria with her predicament but also assist him in successfully completing his current system mission.
For that reason, earlier today, the moment he saw her, he had approached Victoria and revealed his plan to solve her problem: he would pretend to be her boyfriend and present himself before her family to openly oppose the arranged marriage!
Upon hearing his plan, Victoria blushed as red as a tomato, her heart pounding wildly as she gazed at Orion's sharply defined features and his prominent muscles. Although she instinctively felt great curiosity about what would happen if they truly went through with such a plan, she logically concluded that such a trick would likely fail—and might even make things worse.
She had always maintained an impeccable image before her parents, and if she suddenly appeared at home with an unknown boyfriend, things could become very complicated. Above all else, she believed such an action would be dangerous for Orion, since if her father determined that he was trying to take advantage of her, he would not hesitate to use all his power to eliminate him.
The influence held by a high-ranking noble in this kingdom was not something to be underestimated. At least in the beautiful actress's mind, if Orion were to enter into a conflict with her father, there would be no chance for him to defend himself against her family's powerful forces.
Just imagining Orion being hurt—or even executed—because of her made any curiosity she had felt about the viability of his plan vanish completely.
For that reason, Victoria rejected Orion's offer, thinking he would simply give up on his idea. But this time, Orion had no intention of backing down.
That morning, beneath the largest tree in the theater's garden, Orion had stepped forward and taken Victoria's hands firmly in his. Then, as the young woman looked at him in surprise, he gazed back at her with unwavering determination, radiating the powerful aura of a king.
"Don't worry, Victoria. I promise everything will be fine," said Orion, looking straight into her eyes.
The young woman fell into a trance upon seeing his resolute expression, and she could hear the pounding of her own heartbeat echoing in her ears. For some strange and inexplicable reason, when she looked into Orion's eyes, she felt that if she simply nodded and accepted his proposal, everything would indeed turn out all right. If she left everything in his hands, the man standing before her would truly solve all her problems.
This feeling was completely illogical and baseless, yet Victoria couldn't stop herself from parting her soft pink lips slightly and uttering an affirmative phrase under Orion's steady gaze.
"All right, I'll leave it in your hands."
After impulsively accepting Orion's proposal, Victoria was overcome by embarrassment, feeling as though she had just accepted a love confession or something similar. She immediately ran away at full speed, covering her burning cheeks with her hands.
"Wait for me outside the theater when rehearsals are over!" Orion shouted from a distance, bringing their brief yet intense morning exchange to an end.
And just as Orion had instructed, Victoria finished her daily rehearsals and waited for him outside the theater. That was when Hogback had appeared to harass her, and just as she was struggling to deal with the persistent doctor, Orion showed up and rescued her—pretending to be her official boyfriend for the very first time.
Now, they were walking along the streets of the great city, and Victoria, who still didn't fully understand the specifics of Orion's plan, shyly lifted her gaze to look at his handsome face as he walked beside her.
"You must be dying of curiosity about why I asked you to wait for me after rehearsal today, aren't you?" Orion suddenly asked, lowering his gaze to meet that of the beautiful young woman.
Victoria felt as if electricity coursed through her body, and she immediately lowered her eyes again, focusing once more on her small feet.
"Mm," she murmured softly, a succinct sound of agreement to Orion's words.
Seeing her adorable demeanor, Orion felt the urge to embrace her again, but he ultimately restrained himself, not wanting to startle the already flustered girl. The most important thing now was to carry out the plan he had prepared in advance—and there would be plenty of time over the coming month to grow closer to Victoria.
When they reached a luxurious carriage waiting nearby, Orion leapt onto it, then opened the carriage door and extended his hand toward Victoria with a smile.
"Tonight, we're going to see your father and inform him of our love."
"Eh?" Victoria exclaimed softly, her pink lips parting and her eyes widening adorably in surprise.
She already knew that Orion planned to confront her family and pretend to be her boyfriend—he had mentioned that much—but she hadn't expected it to be so soon!
Wasn't there supposed to be some kind of preparation beforehand? Was he really just going to show up out of nowhere?
For a brief moment, Victoria began to doubt once again whether it was right to go along with this reckless plan. But before she could get too lost in her thoughts, Orion extended his hand and gently took hers.
Then, with a smooth motion, he helped her up into the carriage and guided her inside the elegant cabin. Seated on the plush, cushioned seat, she watched as Orion sat down across from her and closed the door. The carriage began to move immediately, skillfully driven by the coachman—who had clearly received instructions from Orion ahead of time.
"Don't worry, Victoria. I know this whole thing is a bit sudden, but I promise everything will turn out fine," said Orion in a calm tone that managed to ease some of the girl's anxiety.
Then, showing a slightly playful smile, he continued,
"To be honest, Victoria, I haven't been completely truthful with you—or at least, I haven't told you much about myself."
Victoria's fists clenched involuntarily, thinking Orion was about to reveal a major secret about himself, praying with all her heart that it wasn't something bad.
Orion paused briefly, and after noticing her curious gaze, he went on, beginning to tell his personal story for the first time.
"There's a lot to explain, so I'll try to be as brief as possible… But would you believe me if I told you I'm a king?"
Orion's voice echoed for quite a while as the carriage sped toward the Cindry family mansion, where they would have to face Victoria's father.
Inside the carriage, the beautiful actress listened to Orion's story with complete fascination, her eyes growing brighter and brighter as he spoke. At the same time, her heart was beating rapidly, and the feelings she held for the charismatic man before her began to sublimate. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before the lie turned into an absolute truth.
…
Finally, after a few hours of travel, the carriage arrived at the great Cindry estate, which was practically a castle. Orion opened the carriage door and, after stepping down, extended his hand to help the beautiful actress descend gracefully.
However, the carriage was slick with the snow that had begun to fall moments earlier, and Victoria slipped, falling straight into Orion's arms. He caught her effortlessly, preventing her from being hurt in the slightest.
For a brief moment, Orion felt Victoria's breasts press against his body, and the soft sensation almost made him lose his composure—but he quickly regained control thanks to his passive ability, Strong Mind.
Victoria Cindry wasn't known as the most beautiful woman in the kingdom for nothing. Her beauty was truly breathtaking, especially for someone like Orion, who was far more libidinous than a man of normal temperament.
Victoria, having fallen right into Orion's arms, felt his strong muscles envelop her, and an electric current ran through her body from her hips up to her head. But she quickly reacted, gently pushing Orion away and keeping a safe distance, her cheeks flushed red.
Then, to escape the ambiguous situation, she focused her gaze on the towering castle nearby and said softly,
"I hope everything goes well today."
Her voice was low, but she sounded much more confident than she had before leaving the city.
During the journey, Orion had not only told her his personal story—obviously omitting secret information such as the system—but had also shown her solid proof of his words. He had opened his Pocket Dimension so she could witness his abilities and revealed some of his treasures stored within, even demonstrating special skills like Art Coating, which allowed him to alter the shape of inanimate objects.
Now, Victoria had much more confidence in Orion, though she still wasn't sure if they would succeed during this visit to her father. After all, Orion hadn't come to antagonize her parents—he needed to convince them that their relationship was more beneficial than the political marriage they were planning for her.
Even though Orion was a king, he ruled over a distant realm unaffiliated with the World Government, so that identity alone wouldn't be enough to persuade her parents. The only reason she had believed his words was because of the deep affection she already felt for him.
Victoria wanted to believe Orion, because without realizing it, she had started to fall in love with him—and she would have believed anything he said, no matter how far-fetched. However, convincing her parents wouldn't be easy; the mere act of presenting himself as her boyfriend would make them view him with suspicion and hostility from the start.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Trust me," said Orion, suddenly brushing his hand against Victoria's cheek. The gesture caught her completely off guard; she hadn't expected such an intimate action from him so suddenly.
Even so, Victoria nodded softly, and after hesitating for a brief moment, she decisively extended her delicate hand and wrapped her arm around Orion's.
Seeing the surprise on his face, Victoria felt she had scored a small victory over him, and trying to sound indifferent, she said,
"I-It's better if we act like a real couple if we want to convince my parents."
Watching her adorable expression, Orion wondered how it was possible that Victoria was considered the most talented actress of all when she couldn't even pretend to be his lover properly. However, he knew her uncharacteristic behavior—and her inability to display her monstrous acting skill—came simply from the fact that she was truly, and for the first time, experiencing a flood of genuine, new emotions.
It was difficult for anyone to maintain composure when overwhelmed by such an intense rush of emotions—and Victoria was an actress, not a trained spy. If Orion had given her a few days to grow accustomed to more intimate contact with him, she definitely could have staged a performance convincing enough to make anyone believe the scene before their eyes was completely real.
However, Orion didn't have the luxury of waiting even a few days, since the information he had obtained the previous night indicated he had to act immediately if he wanted to resolve Victoria's marriage issue while also securing a spot in the theater's main acting troupe.
If he waited even a single day longer, the political marriage would be finalized, and it would become much harder for Orion to intervene—unless he caused great chaos in the kingdom, which he had no interest in doing, as he was focused on his current mission.
Hand in hand with Victoria, they walked along the path leading to the main entrance of the Cindry mansion, feeling the warmth of each other's bodies. The snowfall was growing heavier, and Orion pulled Victoria closer, shielding her from the snow with his body.
In that ambiguous and romantic posture, they reached the mansion's entrance, where they were abruptly stopped by the guards.
"Halt! Who goes there?! Why have you entered the domain of Count Cindry without announcing yourselves?!" shouted one of the guards aggressively, gripping his spear in a threatening manner.
"Roy, it's me. I've come to visit my parents," said Victoria suddenly, stepping forward.
The soldier named Roy—the same one who had spoken moments earlier and was leading the others—opened his eyes wide in disbelief, unable to process what he was seeing. From his position, he hadn't been able to clearly see the woman embraced by the unfamiliar man, but never in his life would he have imagined that she was none other than the young lady of the Cindry family—the famous Victoria herself!
Victoria was known as a pure young woman with an impeccable reputation, and she had never been seen in close contact with any man… Yet here she was, returning home in the intimate embrace of a stranger? These were explosive news he had to report to the Count immediately!
"Lady Victoria, please forgive my rudeness—I didn't realize it was you…! Please, come in at once. I will inform the Count of your arrival right away!" said Roy hastily. Then, after ordering the other guards to escort Victoria, he ran toward the mansion to deliver the shocking news to his lord.
As he ran, recalling the rumors he had heard about a possible political alliance with the Duke's family—and remembering the image of young Lady Victoria in the arms of that unknown man—Roy realized this would likely be a restless night. Something significant was bound to happen tonight!